The Prince of Atlantis
by Jak Pickens
Summary: Although Arthur Curry may look like a normal street kid from Gotham City, he has inherited an unimaginable burden. Cursed with the birthright to the Kingdom of Atlantis, he has to decide who he cares about more, his friends and family on the land or his kingdom under the sea, as well as dealing with the most confusing beings of all... teenage girls. ABANDONED
1. Pilot: The New World

_**The Prince of Atlantis**_

 **Maoya Island, Norwa** y

Tom Curry stepped out of the lighthouse that he watched over with a broad smile. His little boy of only three years had run off and hidden, waiting for his father to come and find him. Tom quickly checked his son's usual spots, like the formation of three rocks that he could fit into, and the shrubs that surrounded the lighthouse's base, but to no avail. He quickly scanned the plains next to the tower, but his son wasn't there. In the corner of his eye, he saw a tiny figure dart out from the dark sand dunes on the edge of the small island. And there was his son: Arthur Curry.

He sighed and began to jog towards his son lazily, not wanting to end the game too quickly, but Tom's expression of relief turned into one of horror as his son had begun to sprint towards the rough waves that pounded shore. Tom ran as fast as he could, the blood rushing in his ears, but he wasn't quick enough. He watched in utter terror as his son tripped on the rocks and fell down, out of his sight with a splash. Tom ran even faster, trying to reach the toddler in time, but when he reached the edge an odd sight greeted him.

His son was zipping around in the Arctic Waters on the back of a harbor porpoise, laughing gleefully. Tom dropped his jacket and boots and dove into the water to retrieve his son from the animal. The porpoise let out a noise that Tom interpreted as the creature yelling at him and he swam back to shore, rushing back to the lighthouse where he dried off his son. The oddest part of the entire encounter was that his son didn't even shiver once, as if the icy water had no effect on him.

That was the first of many times that his son would show that he wasn't fully human, like he was… for the lack of a better term… other. For example: one time Arthur began to cry endlessly because he dropped his food, and a pack of sea lions erupted into barking almost simultaneously. Then, when Tom got the child more food and he stopped whining, so did the sea lions.

This was when he came to realize that the things his lover had told him before she left weren't lies. He tried to recollect what she had told him; that she was from a Palace at the bottom of the ocean called Atlantis, and that she had to return; that the child would become something great one day. It also explained how she got off the island without a boat, a question that no one had ever given a reasonable solution to. From that day on, he kept a closer eye on his boy, never fully letting his son out of his sight for too long.

Life continued on normally until the next year. Several weeks after Arthur had turned four, Tom decided that Norway wasn't going to work for them anymore and that they would move to America where he found work at the docks of Gotham City. Packing everything that they had, which fit into two backpacks, they left their small island on the coast of Norway, intent on a new opportunity in the Land of the Free. Tom found the man that agreed to take them to France by boat for one thousand Norwegian Krones (About a hundred US Dollars) and for him to work as a deckhand. At first, Tom was worried that Arthur would have another "incident", but his worries were put aside as Arthur slept for the majority of the voyage and ran around the deck whenever he got antsy. He suffered a minor scare when a large wave came over the deck, hitting Arthur perfectly in what should've knocked him down, but when it washed away, Arthur was on his feet and laughing. The captain commented, "Barnet ditt er bra på et dekk," (Meaning "Your kid is good on a deck.") Tom nodded, "Yes, he is."

After a voyage of about thirty hours, they finally docked in north France. They took a taxi to Paris, where they stayed for nearly a week, and then took a flight from France to New York City. Arthur had looked uncomfortable for most of the flight. He threw up twice but would calm down if he could look down and see the Atlantic Ocean below him. Finally, they landed in New York and went through customs. Tom emerged feeling like a new man, like the entire world was his oyster. They took another taxi from New York City all the way to Gotham, where they found an apartment in what the natives called The Narrows. They lived in the same apartment for the next ten years, but when his son was fourteen, their lives changed forever.

Life in The Narrows wasn't so bad if you asked Arthur. He had extremely vague memories of Norway, but from what his father told him, the city was very different than his country of origin. He had realized this early on in his stay in Gotham while trying to play with a few boys older than him. He couldn't understand what they were saying because they were speaking English so fast, but he got one thing: they were making fun of him. Arthur had ran home that day, distraught at the fact that the older kids had been so mean to him and that he couldn't understand their language. So, his father began to talk in English at home rather than Norwegian, which was difficult for the both of them at first, but Arthur eventually began to understand and in a few months he was communicating with everyone just fine.

His dad wasn't home very often as he'd get roped into working overtime on ships and would occasionally have to go off and work as a deckhand on the huge cargos. Arthur would be left at home for days at a time, which led to him growing up on the streets. He made a ton of friends with the other street kids, even inviting a few home with him for dinner whenever he could. He grew up fast, but that was normal for people like him so he really didn't mind.

One day in particular when he was eleven, he met a girl on the streets who had gotten into a fight with one of his friends. She was destroying the poor kid, and Arthur couldn't help but cringe as his friend got the living shit beat out of him. Finally, she knocked him out and he dropped to the floor with a bit of drool running out of his mouth.

No one seemed to want to get involved, so Arthur approached menacingly, staring her down with his friends behind him. She began looking around for a method of escape, but when she looked back at him, his scowl cracked and he smiled dashingly at her. Sticking out his hand, he said, "Hello, I'm Arthur. What's your name, love?" His father had taught him one thing: when talking to girls, always layer on the accent.

She looked confused for a moment but the unexpected question broke her hardened expression and she shook his hand, saying, "Cat. Sorry about him," she nodded towards his friend who was being lifted off the ground.

He lowered his voice and told her with a grin, "He probably deserved it, that one; kind of a douche if you ask me." She smirked and he asked her, "What did you do?"

Cat shrugged, "Stole the laces off his shoes when he was sitting on that bench."

She pulled out the laces from her coat pocket and he asked, "Why?"

"I don't know, I just felt like it, I guess," she said offhandedly.

"Alright, I'm impressed. What else can you do, you know, besides steal shoe laces?" Arthur inquired.

"Why?" she asked suspiciously.

Arthur shrugged and replied, "Just curious." He turned back to his friends and told them, "Hey guys, this is Cat, she's cool with us now, got it?" He received mixed reactions of scoffs and nods, but no one objected, which was a win in his book. Turning back to Cat, he said, "See you around, oh, and can Jonny have his shoe laces back now?"

She shrugged and tossed them to him, turning on her heal and slinking back away into the shadows. "Dang," one of the younger guys commented and the others looked at him oddly. "What?" he asked them innocently. "We were all thinking it."

Arthur turned to them and asked, "Who wants to go down to Chinatown to find dinner?" They all cheered, except Jonny who had just come to, who tried to stand on his own and nearly fell again. "Alright there, Jonny?" He nodded groggily and they moved on from the street. Unknown to Arthur, the girl was watching them go with a certain curiosity sparkling in her green eyes.

 **A/N** : **OMG I can't believe I'm finally posting something! Any reviews/criticisms are absolutely welcome, as I'm still learning which you all probably noticed by the quality of my writing. I hope you enjoy and I'll try and update my story(s) as much as I can. Thanks for reading! -JP**


	2. Two Sides of a Falling Wall

**Gotham City, New Jersey**

Selina became a sort of legend among the other street kids. The guy she beat up was two years older, had nearly eighty pounds on her, and was almost a foot taller and she won easily. Jonny swore on his life that he wasn't really going to hit her and she struck first, and then again, and then again. Arthur saw her around occasionally, usually stopping for a few words, but half the time she was on the run from people she stole from so they never got to have great conversations.

Then, when he was thirteen, she came by his apartment while his dad was gone and she asked him, "Hey, Arty, you wanna grab a bite to eat?"

"Arty?" He shook his head. "As long as you're paying," and they left his flat by the fire escape. Arthur became confused when he saw Cat climbing up the fire escape, rather than down. He called to her, "Isn't food that way?" pointing towards the ground.

She looked down at him, already two stories higher, and said, "I thought you'd want to take the scenic route to Midtown," and she continued to climb. He huffed and followed her as fast as he could. When he reached the roof, Cat was standing about twenty feet back from the ledge, looking out to the world in front of her. Then, she did something unexpected. She sprinted towards the edge of the building and jumped off towards the next one, landing gracefully in a roll. Turning back, she called, "Your turn!"

Arthur walked up to the edge, and looked down. His breath caught as the ground seemed to get farther and farther away the more he stared. They were over seven stories up, a fatal fall if he missed, but he figured, "Ah, what the hell," and backed up. Leaning forwards he ran towards the edge of the building, counting his steps, and then he launched, flying through the air for a moment before he reached the other side.

"Don't get too far behind," Cat taunted as she took off, bounding from building to building as they approached the Midtown Bridge which pierced the sky in the afternoon light.

Arthur kept up pretty well, never getting more than one building behind her as they free ran. Finally, they reached the park and had to descend from the rooftops. He dropped gracefully from the second story of a fire escape and found himself standing not a foot away from Cat. "That was fun," he commented with a smirk.

Rolling her eyes and playfully shoved him back a bit. "Don't get a big head about keeping up with me when I was jogging."

"That's bull. You were trying to leave me in the dust," Arthur challenged.

"Whatever you say," and she started towards the Midtown Bridge.

"I thought you said we were getting food!" he called as he jogged up to her. She nodded and he asked, "Where's the food then?"

Cat smiled with mischief in her eyes. She pointed towards the top of the Midtown Bridge, "Up there," which stopped Arthur in his tracks. "What, are you scared of heights?" Cat taunted.

He shook his head adamantly, "Just surprised is all. You've climbed it then?"

She nodded, "All the way up. The older kids go up there all the time to make out and stuff, but it does have the best view in Gotham so come on." She grabbed his hand and dragged him along behind her until he caught up again. They walked hand-in-hand all the way to the base of the pillars where Cat walked in front of him and began to climb. He followed, mirroring the path she took all the way to the top, where she pulled him up onto the highest beam which was about the width of a sidewalk.

Directly in the middle was a Domino's pizza box and he chuckled, "Planned this whole thing out, did you?"

She shrugged, "You weren't willing to make the first move, so…" she trailed off. They sat on opposite sides of the box and he opened it to reveal a large, pepperoni and sardine pizza.

"Wow, that looks good," and they both dug in. Occasionally, she would pick a sardine off of her slice and throw it at him. This developed into a game where he'd try to catch it in his mouth while simultaneously not falling off the beam they were so precariously perched on. He asked her, "So, I've been wondering…"

"What?" she asked with a mock curious look in her eyes.

He laughed and asked, "What's your real name?"

"What is Cat not a good enough name or something?"

"That's not it, I just wanted to know. Is your real name embarrassing or something like that?" he asked. "If so, I guarantee that it can't be as bad as _Arthur_. I mean, what was my dad thinking?"

They laughed and she told him, "It's Selina. And Arthur isn't a bad name, it suits you." He shook his head and she asked him, "Then what do you want to be called?"

He shrugged, "Not Arty, that's for sure. I don't know, maybe…A.C.?"

"A for Arthur?" He nodded, and she asked, "What's the C for?"

"My last name," he responded shortly.

"Wow, I've known you for three years and I never learned your last name."

"Ditto. It's Curry, Arthur Curry."

"Mine's Kyle." She shrugged, "It's good to have an alias though. Eventually, the cops will stop seeing poor, unfortunate, cute kids and start seeing criminals."

They ate in silence for a few moments when he asked, "I'm just curious: where do you live?"

She looked at him quizzically and said, "In an old factory in the Narrows, usually. Why?"

He replied, "You know how there is a door that connects two apartments together?" She nodded and he continued, "Well, the lock is busted and no one lives opposite to us, so if you ever needed a place to sleep… just offering is all."

By the end his voice had became very soft, and she blushed, saying, "You're sweet, AC." She leaned forward slightly and he caught on.

He moved the box from between them and moved towards her slowly. Making eye contact, she nodded and they met in a kiss. It wasn't anything special, only lasting a few seconds, but it was better than any kiss he had had before. When they broke apart, they were both slightly red and they laughed. They sat for a few moments until Arthur said, "I should probably get home." He stood to leave and asked, "You coming?"

"No, I'm gonna stay up here for a bit," she responded with a faraway look in her eyes and a slight smile dancing on her lips.

"Thanks again for the food… Selina," he told her before descending and leaving her line of sight. He dropped to the ground breathing heavily, although not purely from the climb down. When he got home to his apartment, a few of his friends were waiting at the front doors. One asked him where he had been and he said, "Nowhere. What were you all waiting on me for?" trying to divert the attention from himself.

It didn't work. The elderly lady at the front desk asked him, "Arthur, was it alright that I sent that...oh what did she call herself?" she shuffled her papers around, "Aha! That Miss Cat up to your apartment?"

The other guys freaked out, congratulating him mockingly and Arthur went tomato red. He denied, "We just went for a bite to eat was all."

One of them winked at him and said, "Sure, Arthur."

"No, really! We just grabbed a pizza and talked and…"

His voice had trailed off and Van, one of his best friends, asked, "And?"

"I swear you all are secretly teenage girls. Why do you care?" he asked still bright red.

Van told him, " _Because_ you went on a date with _Cat!_ She's probably the most untouchable girl in the Narrows, and she went to _you_?! That's a cause for celebration, I think." He got a mischievous look in his eyes and asked, "You know how my dad works at Gotham Central High?" They nodded, "Well, there's a big football game tonight, and I know a few girls on the cheerleading squad who always go to Avellino's after, and I think they'd love to meet you guys."

"Isn't Avellino's a club that serves alcohol? And the oldest person here is only fifteen?" Arthur interjected.

Another one of his friends, Percy, asked, "Who cares? Half the people there on Friday nights are minors. Let's go!" Arthur didn't want to, but he got dragged along anyways.

Halfway through the party Van came up to him, arm-in-arm with a girl on either side, and shouted, "You look like you're bored out of your mind, so…" the girl to his left let go of Van and grabbed Arthur, pulling him to the dance floor.

After a minute or so, she asked him over the noise, "What's your name again?"

"It's AC! You?" he asked her.

"Kate! Did Van drag you here?" He nodded and she asked, "Well, that's a shame, isn't it?"

"It isn't _so_ bad," he said with a sarcastic grin. He spent the rest of the night alternating dancing with Kate, a few of her friends, and occasionally just dancing with Van and his own friends. By the end of the night, Van, Percy, and Arthur were the only three of their group left, so they decided to call it quits. The walk back was interesting as Van was clearly on something and the other two had to half-carry him back to his apartment, stopping once or twice when he started to retch. They hoisted their friend up through his window, told him to get to bed, and then AC and Percy went their separate ways.

AC took the shortcut to his apartment that he always did. He passed through the first alley like usual, but something felt off while he walked through the second one. He felt a few presences move behind him and he reached into his pocket for his switchblade dagger. It wasn't there. He must've dropped it at the club or something. Clenching his fists, he sped up his pace and prepared for an oncoming attack, but his potential attackers never reached him. Instead, they each let out screams, one by one, as Arthur heard their bodies drop to the floor and then scramble back to their feet. He didn't know what was happening behind him, and he didn't want to, so he ran towards his apartment's fire escape and ascended it. When he looked back, he saw about six figures run out of the alley, clearly spooked. That's when he felt the rush in his ears stop; he hadn't even noticed that his blood was rushing up until then. Shaking his head, he climbed to the sixth floor and entered his apartment by the window.

Finding the house empty, he climbed out of his clothes and crashed down on his cot in the back room. He had felt the familiar rush again, of the waters inside him churning and threatening to overtake his decisions. He could control water and although it was a gift, it was also a curse. Only twice in his life had he let go of the strain that he felt everyday in the back of his head, and he had learned horrifying lessons from both. One incident left a young lady, only in her 20's, nearly dead and the other left his father scarred and injured, fearful that his own son was about to take his life. He still had never completely rebuilt that bridge with his father. The trust that his dad had for him was still there, but now with a slight doubt. That was his burden to bare, that all the waters of the world could come crashing down and he'd be fine, in fact, he would be free, but it would come at a terrible cost. A few minutes prior, he hadn't even realized that the pain had started to fade lightly, his control slipping away because he was nervous. What he constantly felt wasn't even true pain anymore, it was a whisper, a voice, taunting him to let go. No. It was his burden to bare and he would bare it until his dying day.

He fell into a restless sleep, plagued by the familiar nightmares of the red eyes shrouded in black. But this time, another dream accompanied it. It was a woman screaming to be released from her confines. He wanted to help her, but he knew that if he released her, she would destroy and kill everything in her anger. So, he had to sit there and listen to her pleas and screams for freedom. She was beautiful, but not in an attractive way, in a way that struck awe into anyone that saw her. She was the waters of the Earth and he was her prison guard. And so he sat there, her screams ringing in his ears as his resolve weakened further and further.

Another man appeared in the dream, short and skinny compared to Arthur, but he was clothed in steel. He wore a foul smirk and ordered for his men to beat the woman. Arthur hated him, and yet, he didn't interfere. He was protecting that little man. Was he really doing the right thing, defending such foul creatures? Shouldn't the woman have a fighting chance? He reached for her shackles, to let her free…

Thank God, that's when he woke up.

It was raining outside and he breathed in the fresh, cold air, thanking whatever God was up there that he had awoken before he released the woman to take her revenge on the world, on the men that tortured and polluted her. Still shaking, he stepped out onto the fire escape and let the cool rain soak him, strengthening his resolve. "This power," he spoke softly as he reached out his hand to cup the rainwater, "can never be unleashed."

 **A/N: And that makes two chapters on my first story! Sorry the Pilot was so short but I tried to give you as much information on Arthur as I could in the smallest amount of time possible. I predict that the chapters will continue to get progressively longer from here on out so be sure to stick around. I wonder what's going to go wrong in the future of the story *Imagines the entire world flooding because Arthur/AC has a nightmare* probably nothing too awful, this is my first story after all. Hope you enjoyed! -JP**


	3. Too Close of a Call

**Gotham City, New Jersey**

It was another year before AC had another close call with his powers. Instead of dismissing them and trying to ignore the burden that he had been dealt, he began to use them more often, strengthening his abilities rather than suppressing them. He started to feel more relaxed, which led to him doing more stuff with his friends which relaxed him even more. They attended every Avellino's party from then on out. As he got older, his light brown hair had began to curl and darken to form an odd contrast with his pale blue eyes, which teenage girls found very interesting. AC had to admit the parties were becoming one of the highlight of his weeks, that and seeing Cat whenever they crossed paths.

She had started "working" in the Narrows more often than before, which he didn't mind. Of course, neither of them considered themselves a couple, but AC's friends sure did. On one particular party at Avellino's, Van was being a dick, as per usual, and interrupted AC right as he was about to get to first base with one of the sophomore cheerleaders. "AC, don't you think that your _girlfriend_ wouldn't be so happy if she saw you snog another girl?!"

The girl looked at him in mild disgust and walked away quickly. "Damn you, Van!" AC shouted with mild frustration in his voice.

He held his hands up in surrender and told him, "Just doing my job keeping you safe! That girl was bad news, I could tell."

"No offense, Van, but you aren't exactly the best judge of character," AC commented slyly.

Van yelled over the music, "No, I'm serious! That chick's dad is the Captain of the GCPD and I kinda doubt he'd like a petty thief, school dropout and overall bad guy breaking his daughter's heart! I'm just lookin' out for you, bud." He gestured to a cute Asian girl who'd been eyeing AC all night and said, "She, on the other hand, is a different story."

"Who is she?" AC asked with a bit more enthusiasm than he had intended.

"Calm down there tiger," he paused and laughed, "Get it? Tiger because you're dating a girl called Cat? Oh come on! That's good!" AC looked at him with a mild scowl, so Van said, "That girl's name is Vicki Vale. She's staying with her aunt in the city, temporarily, so she's a good choice if you ask me."

"How do you know everything?" AC asked, with a grin.

"I make it my business to know everything about everyone, especially people whose names start with V. Now, you gonna go talk to her or should I?"

"Nah man, I got this one." Van cheered him on with a slight smirk and then went to the bar to try and talk the bartender into believing he was 18, which was funny because you had to be 21 to drink, but AC didn't think Van needed to know that.

AC approached the girl calmly with a small smile. She smiled and said, "Hi."

"Hello, love," he said in his thickest European accent. Over the years, his natural Norwegian accent had blended with his Irish, British, and Italian neighbors in his apartment building to form a weird accent that combined parts of all of them. The British part came with calling every pretty girl he met "love".

She noticed it and asked, "Oh, are you not from around here?"

"What?" he called. He pretended that couldn't understand her over the music, so she nodded towards a booth in the back and they sat down. He smiled and said, "I'm from Norway, but the accent is a blend."

"Ah, so you could hear me," she noticed. He shrugged and she continued, "I didn't catch your name…"

"It's Arthur, but everyone calls me AC. And you're Vicki, right?"

"Yep, that's me. So…what was life like in Norway?"

He shrugged again, "Cold." She giggled girlishly and he stated, "No, really, it is. One man once told me that he came out of his house one day to find a penguin frozen solid on his doorstep."

She tilted her head, "Penguins don't live in the Arctic or Norway for that matter."

"That's why I didn't believe him," he commented flatly. She laughed again, this time with a curious look in her eye, like she was examining him, making judgments based on his looks and personality. He asked, "Are you from Gotham then?"

She shook her head, "Metropolis, actually, but I'm staying with my aunt for a few months while my parents get a divorce."

 _Well, there goes that conversation,_ AC thought. He responded, "I'm sorry," but she shook her head.

"No, I am. This probably isn't the best place to have a conversation about something like that."

He told her, "I never knew my mom. She left when I was an infant and it's been my dad and me ever since, so I know the feeling." They sat in an awkward silence for a few moments, neither knowing what to say after talking about such a deep subject.

AC was saved by a huge crash and a yell that came from the bar area. He saw Van in a flash as he tried to punch a guy the size of a linebacker, who simply caught his fist and turned to his friends. AC knew what would happen next. Apparently the ogre of a man didn't know the number one rule about Van: never let him out of your sight. Van rushed him again, bringing his foot up between the behemoth's legs. He dropped quickly and with a sound of outrage, the bartender and two older men grabbed Van and tried to drag him outside. AC rushed after them, already going for his switchblade when one of the ogre's friends grabbed him. He didn't have time for this so he twisted the older boy's arm behind him and pulled on it, bringing him toppling down to the ground with a crack coming from his wrist. AC busted through the door and found the bartender pulling his arm back to punch Van. That's when the calm that he had been building up and all the feelings of mildness and tranquility vanished. He felt everything freeze for a moment and then something erupted inside of him and he blacked out.

When he came to, Van and Percy were holding his body between them and walking back towards the Narrows. He asked what happened and Van shook his head, "I don't know. I was out of it, I guess."

"Did you see what happened, Percy?" he asked, honestly worried someone had seen something that they shouldn't have.

Percy shook his head, "I was in the bathroom when I heard the commotion and when I got outside everyone was already down, except Van."

"I thought you didn't see anything, V?"

He shook his head again, "I think I drank something because what I saw wasn't possible… you lost a fight!" Cracking his familiar, crazy grin he laughed at AC's annoyed face and asked, "What does that make your street fight record? 300 and 2?

Percy shook his head, "That's probably pretty accurate, actually. Have you ever lost a fight before today, AC?"

"Not that I can remember, so who was the first one?" he asked with an attempt at his charming grin.

Van joked, "It hasn't happened yet, but I assume that one day Cat will get pissed at you." He smiled, "I bet this is the first time that we've ever had to carry you home from a party."

"And it's hopefully the last," he said, attempting to stand. The force in the back of his head had returned, putting all of its pressure into one point. The pain was excruciating so he decided to remain limp and let his friends carry him all the way back to his building. He told them goodnight and that he'd be fine to get upstairs by himself. Percy seemed hesitant, but they eventually left him to ascend to the sixth floor in solitude. Thank God neither of them had seen it, because he had a pretty good idea of what happened. Before he blacked out, he heard the rushing in his ears and the pain in his head left. He had used his power over water to knock the three men out, but using his powers so much with so little practice had worn him out, leaving himself unconscious as well.

When he arrived at his door, he noticed that lights were shining through the crack at the bottom. He swung the door open, expecting to see his father back from one of his many adventures in the Atlantic, but instead, he found that there was a teenage girl sitting on his couch. He cleared his throat to get her attention, already reaching into his pocket for his dagger.

She turned to him and smiled, asking, "Are you Arthur Curry?"

The tight grip he had on his switchblade diminished and he nodded, "Yes. Who are you?" The girl had nearly red ginger hair and bright blue eyes, but hers were a more royal blue than his were.

She stood from the couch and flipped off the tiny TV. It had been on one of the major boxing matches that night, which AC thought was slightly weird. She held her hand out, "I'm Mera."

The stood in awkward silence, and she just looked at him with a blank stare. He asked, "Not to be rude, but, why are you here?"

"Oh," she blushed slightly, "I apologize. I was sent by the Atlantean Council to retrieve you from Gotham."

His eyes went wide and Arthur questioned, "For whom?"

She shoulders slumped, "You really don't know anything, do you?"

"Know anything about what?" he asked, growing agitated at the belittling look that she was giving him. "You're the one who broke into _my_ apartment, so you're the one that has to explain!"

"I didn't break anything!" she countered, her ears turning the color of her hair. "Everything here is perfectly unbroken!" She gestured towards the small kitchen, "Well, except that table but it was broken when I got here! So can we go now? I'm starting to feel dehydrated from being on the land for so long. No wonder you get the headaches."

That stopped him in his tracks. "How do you know about that? I never told anyone."

"You didn't have to," she replied with a smirk. "The Atlantean Council sent me and they already know all about you. Your mother's a member and she's the reason that you can do the things that you do with water."

"My mother? My mother is dead! She disappeared off the island when I was a baby and was never seen again!"

His anger had returned fully at the mention of his mother and she held her hands up in surrender. "I swear to you, Arthur Curry son of Tom Curry, your mother is alive and well and she wants to see you."

"Well you can tell her to," he swore and she cringed, "off then! If she really wants to see me she can come to Gotham which is _my_ home!"

Mera sighed and shook her head, "I'm sorry, Arthur. I didn't want to be the one to tell you this…"

"What?" he asked with a slight edge in his voice.

"Something terrible happened to your father last night. His boat…it was caught in a storm. A group of Atlanteans rushed to save it, but most of the crew had already drowned when they got there." She looked down, refusing to meet his horrified gaze. She paused for a moment, and then uttered five, simple words that broke his heart. "They couldn't find your father."

 **A/N: This probably isn't necessary for most of you reading this, but if you hadn't caught on yet or just didn't know, Arthur Curry is the real name of Aquaman. This is my take on how him growing up in Gotham would change and shape who he'd become later. I just wanted to clear that up in case you didn't know his real name (since I didn't know until I got the idea for Prince of Atlantis and had to research him).**

 **And, okay, so it may be a little bit too late to describe the main protagonist's physical features, as the new version from Justice League has very different facial features than the Aquaman from the comics, but the version of Arthur that I'm using is the one from Justice League played by Jason Momoa. Sorry if you already had a picture of AC in your head that differs, but my lack of writing experience shows in that I assumed you knew what I was thinking.**

 **Next chapter should be coming out very soon, so stick around as the plot of the story will be really picking up speed in the next two or three chapters. Thanks for reading my ramble! –JP**


	4. A King Arrives Part 1

**A/N: "And here we…go," -Joker**

They arrived at the Southern Pier of Gotham City a few minutes later. Neither had spoken a word the entire trip, AC because he was still slightly in shock and Mera in shame. Her only job was to get AC to Atlantis unharmed and let his mother talk to him, and she failed. AC had barely looked at her as they walked; only ever glancing over if she started to fall behind. Obviously he was surprised and probably had hundreds of questions racing through his mind, but he wouldn't say if he did; he was very much like his mother in that way, always keeping her problems to herself.

When they finally got to the edge of the pier, he turned to her and asked, "Now what?"

She gestured to the water and said, "Don't get lost," diving in without another word.

He dove in after her, not allowing the mysterious girl out of his sight. As he broke the surface, he felt an unreal rush pass through his body, like all at once he could finally breathe. He felt more powerful than ever before, as if the water had unlocked something deep inside of him allowing his body to relax and start to pump with adrenaline all at once. He rocketed down into the murky waters of the Gotham River, heading for open water and completely forgetting the reason he was there in the first place. AC dove down deeper, feeling more powerful as the water became clearer and got salty. He continued on his downward spiral until Mera appeared next to him, grinning at the boy's enthusiasm for the water. She waved for him to follow her and sped off at an unbelievable pace towards the bottom of the ocean. He passed a few fish that he'd never seen before and had to force himself not to stop and pet them. They dove into depths that AC was sure would've killed any normal man but they kept on going, unfazed.

Finally, they came upon a ravine that they descended into, although much slower than they had been going previously. When they reached the bottom, she said to him, "Welcome home, sire." She swam into a cave and then disappeared into the darkness. AC followed hesitantly. Without thinking, his hand drifted to his switchblade which had miraculously stayed in the pocket of his black jeans. He swam after Mera, who'd vanished from his sight and for a moment, he swam in what felt like a limbo, a place with light or noise that felt eerie, yet peaceful. Shaking his head to clear it, he swam on and found himself rocketing forward on an extremely fast current. Losing all control over the water, he allowed the jet stream to take him where it wanted to. He let the waters take over for about two minutes until the stream stopped and he felt his control return. Looking up, his jaw nearly hit the ground as he got his first look at Atlantis, the Kingdom under the Sea. Giant, gold towers stood over the beautiful reefs that appeared on nearly every roof of every building. Schools of sea life zoomed around the city, the major ones being cheered on as they performed for the civilians. He saw a man with a dolphin for his lower half take a sand dollar from his pocket, break it into four parts, and placed a quarter in the pail underneath the fish. Some children came running (or was it floating?) down an alley, being chased by some teenagers around Van's age. Mera appeared next to him, startling AC out of his trance. She laughed slightly and she asked, "What do you think?"

"It's…" he was at a loss for words at the beauty of the city, "incredible! Are those towers made of real gold?"

"Oh yeah, gold is one of the main building materials that Atlanteans use. Isn't it currency on the surface?"

"Yeah, it is…"

"You okay there, Prince Arthur?"

"Prince?" he asked. She had also called him sire before he entered the jet stream. "Am I royalty or something?"

"Like I said, your mother is a member of the Atlantean Council and they rule Atlantis and all the waters of the world." She said it as if talking to a toddler, which normally would've offended him, but right now nothing could take him out of the trance he'd been put into. "She wants to see you, Arthur, and for my sake, we shouldn't keep her waiting any longer." As they swam through the streets, the Atlanteans began to notice Arthur and some even bowed to him as he passed. He was clearly different than most of them in appearance. He was much tanner than most of the regular civilians and instead of the shiny, skin tight suits they were all wearing, he was wearing regular street clothes from Gotham.

He whispered to Mera, "I could get used to this, I think."

She smirked and said, "Oh, if you think _this_ is attention, then you're going to love the big party your mother is going to throw for you. There'll be so many people there trying to kiss your butt that you'll start wishing you were just a street kid. Believe me, this is just the beginning."

He ignored her last few comments and asked, "A party? Like a Welcome Home kind of party?"

She shrugged, "You could call it that."

"Do I get a plus one?" he asked.

"Probably, you'll be the guest of honor after all."

He thought for a moment and then asked her, "Okay then, let's say, there is a party. If the party took place, would you be my plus one?"

She scoffed, "You say that now, but wait until you meet the other girls in the Kingdom. The dainty ones that are soperfect and sweet that it makes you want to hurt them."

"They sound like airheads to me."

"So they're just your taste!" she said before she could stop herself. He asked her what she meant by that and she told him grudgingly, "I kind of followed you tonight…under direct orders, of course!"

"Wait a second," he stopped swimming and made her look him dead in the eyes. "Do you really think I was into those girls? Like I'd actually want to date them?"

"I don't know, Arthur, you seemed to be pretty into them, particularly that last one before your friend interrupted you." She rolled her eyes and told him, "I'm just saying that you should wait to make up your mind. Besides, your mom might not agree with you taking a soldier-in-training as a date instead of some princess." He started a reply, but she cut him off, "Just drop it, okay?" and continued on swimming out in front of him.

AC was confused by her odd reaction, but the thoughts went out of his mind when he saw the Royal Palace. Although most of the buildings surrounding it were tall and shimmering in the watery light, the palace easily outshone them all, reaching higher than all except one tower which sat a few blocks down from it. Statues of warriors and past kings and queens decorated the path towards the main doors. When they arrived, Mera told him, "This is where I leave you, my prince." She bowed low, but before leaving she whispered, "And…good luck." Turning on her heel, she marched towards the tallest building in Atlantis, leaving Arthur all by himself for the first time.

Thoughts of his father began to return to him, and he remembered why he was there in the first place, because his dad was missing. Marching towards the doors, which swung open on their own accord, he found the main room completely deserted except for a few wandering dolphins and fish. A man appeared out of nowhere and asked him politely, "Who are you?"

He replied in a strong voice, "My name is Arthur Curry, sir." The man's face drained of color and he knelt, which Arthur felt was extremely unnecessary. "I was told that my mother wanted to see me…"

"Yes! Yes, of course! My apologies, my prince, please right this way," and he bowed again much to Arthur's annoyance.

Arthur walked out slightly in front of the man, who he assumed was a servant in the Palace. He asked the man, "What's your name?"

"Merlin, sire. Merlin Francesca, son of Loki and Valeria Francesca, third in my family to serve the Royal Atlantean Crown." It was more of an answer that AC was expecting, but it was better than silence.

"Crown? I thought Atlantis was ruled by a council?"

"Yes, sire, it is, but the members of the council hold the positions of Kings and Queens in Atlantis. Therefore, we refer to them as royalty."

They floated up a few flights of stairs, which AC found odd considering no one walked in Atlantis, and came upon another grand room. At the end of it were eleven thrones sat in a circle. In each was either a man or woman, and they were clearly arguing. Arthur could hear them perfectly.

A middle aged man yelled, "That's an outrage, a blatant lie! How dare you accuse me of neglecting my duties as the Guardian of the East Pacific Block?"

An older woman stood and yelled back, "Don't you dare raise your voice with _me_ , Ari Leontius! I've been on this council since before you were born and never in my life have I ever seen a councilman or woman so ignoring of their responsibility as guardian of the waters!"

An elderly man that sat in the furthest chair to the right spoke with a clear, authoritative voice that rang above the others, "I'd just like to inform you all that this…debate…is no longer private." They all turned their heads towards where Arthur was standing, and poor Merlin looked like he was going to melt from their glares.

The man that the elderly woman had called Ari asked, "Who _dares_ interrupt the Atlantean Council!?"

AC wasn't even slightly afraid of this man. He'd seen a lot worse than _him_ in Gotham, so if he was delusional enough to think he could intimidate a kid from the Narrows, then he had another thing coming. He announced to the room, "My name is Arthur Tom Curry, son of Tom Curry and Queen Atlanna." He didn't know where these words were coming from but apparently he said the correct things because no one laughed at him or scoffed. In fact, the elderly man that had noticed their presence even stood and bowed, though only slightly, before returning to his chair.

That's when a woman, probably only in her late thirties stood from her throne and asked, "Arthur, my son, is it truly you?" He nodded and she ran to him, throwing his arms around her son, which he wasn't thrilled about.

Leaning away from the woman, he asked, "You're Atlanna then?"

"Queen Atlanna, actually," Merlin corrected quietly before cowering back into his bow.

Arthur sized the woman up, noticing her long white hair that she had braided delicately down her back, and the blue shimmering dress that shone in the water. She had a sword strap across her chest and waist, which contrasted her queen-like outfit. She seemed like a normal mother, looking over her child and trying to touch every surface of him that she could. When she reached for his face, he lightly pushed her hands away. Something inside of him exploded, and he yelled at her, "Where the bloody freaking hell were you for the last thirteen years!? Yeah, that's right! You _left us_ for _thirteen years_ , and then all of a sudden you just summon me!? And it isn't even because you wanted to see me, to check in, or be even a little bit like a mother. You only wanted to see me because dad's missing!" His last few words rang for a moment after he stopped.

She told him, "I did want to see you, I swear, but I was just too busy…"

"You were TOO BUSY?! Oh, so that's why you didn't come to help us when dad and I came to America with no money, no family, no nothing! I guess you were just _too busy_ when he went away for days, weeks even at a time and left me there, alone, a six year old! Were you _too busy_ when we almost got evicted and dad had to work his ass off for weeks while you sat here in a monument of gold?! Were you too busy to pop by the apartment and explain to me that I wasn't a demon, or a freak, but that I had Atlantean blood in me and that scalding dad with boiling water wasn't my fault?! We needed you, and you left us! So _don't you dare_ call yourself my mother, you selfish bitch!" He screamed the last few lines in her face, letting out all his anger at once, leaving him breathless and empty. Tears were rolling down his face and he was nearly shaking with utter rage. He had never really thought about how much he hated his mother, but deep down, all the pain and suffering they had gone through had been her fault. So he stood there, hate boiling in his eyes as the Atlantean Council looked on in shock and his birth-giver stared mournfully at her son who hated her.

That's when everything went into chaos, starting with the empty chair in the center of the circle rising from the ground and the eldest man from the council claiming, "Behold, the Prince of Atlantis, the Next Great Lord of the Seas, and the rightful next in line for the Throne. All hail, Prince Arthur." He breathed in heavily and prayed, "I have served my purpose and now request, All Father, that you release me from my duty." A second later he went limp. His body shimmered and disappeared, leaving Arthur, Atlanna, and The Atlantean Council in a shocked silence.

 **A/N: Well…..that escalated quickly. I'm not going to write much in this note because I want to keep writing the next chapter, so I'm gonna keep this one short and sweet. If you have any comments/questions/concerns, make sure to ask in the reviews or feel free to PM me.**

 **But anyways, thanks for reading! If you** _ **really**_ **loved it then please follow/favorite, because it really encourages me to see people care about what I'm writing, and make sure to stick around for the next one! -JP**


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